This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 1999-68075, filed on Dec. 31, 1999, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display panel for controlling a light transmissivity by a liquid crystal to display a picture, and more particularly to a liquid crystal display panel employing an in plane switching (IPS) mode wherein an alignment direction of a liquid crystal is moved on a plane parallel to the surface of the panel.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Generally, liquid crystal display (LCD) panels can be largely classified into a twisted nematic (TN) mode and an in plane switching (IPS) mode. In a TN mode LCD panel, liquid crystal molecules are moved on a basis of a direction perpendicular to the panel. To this end, the TN mode LCD panel allows an electric field to be applied to a liquid crystal layer in a direction vertical or perpendicular to the surface of the panel using transparent electrodes on two glass substrates opposed to each other. Such a TN mode LCD panel can obtain sufficient brightness, but has a narrow viewing angle.
On the other hand, in the IPS mode LCD panel, liquid crystal molecules move on a plane parallel to the panel to thereby enlarge viewing angle. To this end, the IPS mode LCD panel allows a traversing electric field to be applied to the liquid crystal molecules in a direction horizontal or parallel to the panel. The IPS mode LCD panel has a drawback in that, because a pixel electrode and a common electrode exist on the same substrate to generate such a traversing electric field, transmissivity of light from a light source and aperture ratio are deteriorated. For this reason, it is difficult for the IPS mode LCD panel to obtain sufficient brightness.
As shown in FIG. 1, the IPS mode LCD panel includes an upper substrate 10 and a lower substrate 12. A first alignment film 14A is formed on the surface of the upper substrate 10. A pixel electrode pattern 16A, a common electrode pattern 16B and a second alignment film 14B are sequentially formed on the surface of the lower substrate 12. The upper substrate 10 and the lower substrate 12 are adhered to each other in such a manner that the first alignment film 14A is opposed to the second alignment film 14B. A liquid crystal layer 18 is injected between the first and second alignment films 14A and 14B. Liquid crystal molecules constituting the liquid crystal layer 18 move on a plane parallel to the lower substrate 12 in response to a traversing electric field formed by an electrifying electrode pattern on the lower substrate 12, thereby controlling light transmissivity.
As described above, in the conventional IPS mode LCD, because both the pixel electrode pattern 16A and the common electrode pattern 16B must be formed on any one of the substrates, aperture ratio of the pixel is small. For this reason, the quantity of light passing through the conventional IPS mode LCD panel is limited. As a result, the conventional IPS mode LCD panel fails to obtain sufficient brightness.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an in-plane switching mode liquid crystal display panel that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
An object of the present invention is to provide an in plane switching (IPS) mode liquid crystal display panel that is adaptive for enlarging viewing angle as well as obtaining sufficient brightness.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, an in plane switching (IPS) mode liquid crystal display device includes: first and second electrodes on first and second substrates; first and second alignment films on the first and second electrodes, the first and second alignment films having a main chain and a side chain and forming an alignment direction by applying an electric field; and a liquid crystal layer between the first and second substrates.
An in plane switching mode liquid crystal display device fabricating method includes: forming first and second electrodes on first and second substrates; forming first and second alignment films on the first and second electrodes, the first and second alignment films having a main chain and a side chain and being formed an alignment direction by applying an electric field; and forming a liquid crystal layer between the first and second substrates.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.